The Seventh Shadow

Ch 6 : Run

The building exploded.

The entire apartment shook violently as one side of the structure collapsed inward.

Mira screamed.

Concrete shattered.

Metal twisted.

Glass erupted in every direction.

Before she could react, Dante wrapped an arm around her waist.

The world blurred.

One moment she stood inside her apartment.

The next, she was flying through the air.

Wind slammed into her face.

Rain whipped around them.

The city stretched below in a sea of lights.

Mira's scream disappeared into the storm.

"DANTE!"

"I'm aware!"

"We're falling!"

"Technically."

"TECHNICALLY?"

To her horror, he actually looked amused.

For a brief moment, despite the chaos around them, a smile touched his lips.

The expression transformed his face completely.

He looked younger.

Warmer.

Human.

Then reality returned.

The Hunters burst from the collapsing building behind them.

All seven.

Moving impossibly fast.

Their dark forms leaped from rooftop to rooftop as they pursued.

Mira stared in disbelief.

"They're following us!"

"Yes."

"Why are you so calm?!"

"Because this isn't even close to our worst escape."

The answer made absolutely no sense.

Yet somehow she believed him.

Dante landed gracefully on the roof of a neighboring skyscraper.

Before Mira could regain her balance, he grabbed her hand and pulled her forward.

"Move."

The two sprinted across the rooftop.

Rain hammered against them.

Lightning flashed overhead.

The Hunters continued closing the distance.

Mira's lungs burned.

Her legs screamed.

She wasn't built for rooftop chases.

She was built for coffee shops and office meetings.

"Dante!"

"What?"

"I'm dying!"

"No, you're not."

"I absolutely am!"

To her annoyance, he laughed.

Actually laughed.

The sound was surprisingly nice.

Warm.

Rich.

Dangerously attractive.

Mira hated that she noticed.

Another explosion echoed behind them.

The Hunters had reached the roof.

The crimson-eyed leader smiled.

"You're getting slower, Guardian."

Dante didn't even look back.

"I've had a long week."

The Hunter growled.

Dark energy exploded from his hands.

The attack crossed the rooftop instantly.

Mira never saw it coming.

Dante did.

He spun around.

Silver light erupted from his palm.

The two forces collided.

The resulting explosion blasted across the rooftop.

The shockwave shattered nearby windows.

Mira stumbled.

The edge of the building suddenly appeared beneath her feet.

She slipped.

For one horrifying second, nothing supported her.

The city opened beneath her.

Twenty stories.

Thirty.

Forty.

Her stomach dropped.

Then a hand caught hers.

Strong.

Warm.

Certain.

Dante.

Their eyes met.

Rain streamed down his face.

Silver lightning illuminated his features.

For a brief moment everything else disappeared.

The Hunters.

The storm.

The city.

Only the two of them existed.

"Got you," he said quietly.

The simple words sent a strange shiver through her chest.

Something ancient stirred within her.

A memory.

A feeling.

A promise.

"I'll always catch you."

The thought wasn't hers.

Yet it felt familiar.

Dangerously familiar.

Dante seemed to notice her expression.

For a second, something vulnerable appeared in his silver eyes.

Then the moment shattered.

The giant creature within the storm roared.

The entire skyline trembled.

The Hunters froze.

Dante cursed.

And somewhere beyond the clouds, a private jet emerged from the darkness.

Heading directly toward them.

Mira stared.

"A jet?"

Dante grabbed her hand.

"That's our ride.".......

to be continued......